KHOTANG, July 25: Police released six Nepal Communist Party (NCP) cadres including two wards chairs after 10 hours of their arrest. Police had taken the cadres, who had resorted to protest Halesi Tuwachung municipality mayor and enforced vehicular strike on Halesi-Diktel road.
Police on Wednesday had held them from Durchhim while the latter were enforcing vehicular strike against municipality mayor Iwan Rai. Bamdev Gautam, Deputy Superintendent of Police, shared that the arrestees, including wards chairs were handed to NCP municipal chair Surendra Kumar Rai at 4.00 pm Wednesday.
Local level by-election today
Police arrested six persons, including ward-6 Durchim chair Ramesh Tiwari, ward-7 Mahadevsthan chair Chaindar Rai and member of the same ward Nirajman Singh Basnet for their involvement in enforcing vehicular strike by announcing phase-wise protest against mayor Rai. Police also held Pramod Shrestha, CPN Halesi municipal committee office member, Sarbadhan Basnet, secretariat member of municipal committee and Dhan Kumar Bhujel, Mahadevsthan ward committee secretary for enforcing chakkajam. The Diktel-Halesi road section turned tense after the arrest of CPN cadres, including elected people's representatives.
As many as 26 municipal assembly members including wards chairs had waged struggle alleging the municipality mayor unilaterally conducted municipal assembly by ignoring four ward chairs elected from NCP. They had chanted slogans against the mayor and staged sit-in before municipality office in Durchhim for an hour.
The irate people representatives had demanded disclosure of OAG-prepared audit report of the municipality for the fiscal 2074/75 and review of annual progress report for the fiscal 2075/76. However, mayor Rai said there is no rational behind protest from CPN cadres as ward plans were endorsed as they were in line with the budget ceiling. Both mayor Rai and deputy mayor Bimala Rai were elected from Nepali Congress.
